Miami, Florida - An Atlas Air Boeing 747 cargo plane made an emergency return to Miami International Airport late on Thursday night, touching down after an engine malfunction soon after take-off, according to the airline.

The plane "landed safely after experiencing an engine malfunction soon after departure," an Atlas Air spokesperson told AFP in a statement.

"The crew followed all standard procedures and safely returned to MIA," the spokesperson said, adding that the airline would investigate the cause of the malfunction.

Boeing referred emailed questions to the airline.

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The US aviation giant is under intense global scrutiny over its 737 MAX 9 jet following a scare on an Alaska Airlines plane this month when a panel came off mid-flight and forced an emergency landing.

Preliminary inspections led to the discovery of loose hardware on some of the planes. United Airlines said that it had "found instances that appear to relate to installation issues in the door plug – for example, bolts that needed additional tightening."

Six passengers on the Alaskan Airlines flight have since sued Boeing over the incident.